Pruning In Preparation For The Ultimate Bloom.

If you love listening to podcasts and interviews like I do, you will often hear this question asked a lot: “How do you do it all, or how do you balance it all?” When directed at women, it’s always: Can a woman have it all? Obviously, people have different opinions on the questions. My personal answer to that question is a counter question: why do we have to do it all at the same time? My favorite part about personal development and growth is doing it with the Holy Spirit because I believe He gives us the ultimate guide on how to do it right in a way that guarantees showing up as the best version. When we fall into the trap of doing it all at the same time, sometimes, we put a ceiling on how far we can grow because everything is competing for our energy. Sometimes taking things out of your schedule does not equal slowing down; instead, it’s setting yourself up to bloom fully. Just like pruning, even some of the good must go for the tree or plant to grow to its full potential. Often, when we talk about pruning in one’s life, we are so focused on removing bad habits. Sometimes even the ‘Good’ must go because it’s not the correct season for you to give your energy in that certain area. It may be good, but the timing might be wrong. It’s important to know the season that you are in. In some seasons, you show up in certain areas differently than you did in the previous seasons because the focus has shifted. That is why we need to be led by the Holy Spirit during our personal development journey.

The Art of Pruning.

According to reliabletreecare.com,  tree pruning is the selective removal of branches, buds, or roots to improve a tree’s health, structure, and safety. I like how the definition emphasizes selectiveness. When pruning, the arborist needs to be intentional about the branch or bud they cut off. The same applies to pruning for our personal growth; we need to be intentional about the things we are cutting off in our lives to make room for growth.

After researching how arborists prune trees, I found some interesting insights that also apply to how we can approach “pruning” in our own lives.

Know Why You Are Pruning

When it comes to trees, it’s important to know why you want to prune before doing anything else, like picking which part should be removed from where, etc. Do you want a better structure? Remove dead/damaged limbs? Improve appearance? Understanding these objectives will help inform decisions about what branches should come off and how the tree might look once finished.

The same applies to your life; you should have a clear goal as to why you want to cut off some things/ habits.

Know When To Prune

Timing is everything when it comes to pruning. For trees, according to arbostar.com, the best time for pruning is during the dormant season of the year, which usually falls in late fall or winter. During this period, the tree will recover faster, and there will be fewer chances of infections caused by pests and diseases entering it. However, certain types of trees, such as flowering ones, may need to be pruned after they have bloomed in order not to interfere with their flowering cycle.

When it comes to your personal growth, knowing the season you are in is very crucial to understanding what your priorities are. You can’t show up the same in all facets of your lives during different seasons. In some seasons, something must give in through pruning.

I love how Dr Anita Philips strongly believes that as humans we are wired the same as the garden and we should draw lessons from the way nature operates because God was giving us nuggets and insights in creation. ( Get Dr Anita’s book, The Garden Within, here to learn more). Just like we prune plants, this week’s personal growth strategy is pruning to give room for the ultimate bloom in your life. Write a list of everything that you are focusing on in your life right now. It could be any of your goals, projects, etc, anything that demands your energy. Take a moment to reflect: what season of life are you in right now? I know many people are following the end-of-year lock-in season (but what are you locked into?). Prune out everything that might cause your tree to result in stunted growth. Remember, pruning the good does not necessarily mean you are taking steps back; it only means you are setting yourself up for an ultimate bloom. Just like trees, we are pruned for ultimate bloom.

It’s Worth The Pain

Pruning can be a painful process, but it’s always worth it. Share this personal growth strategy with your accountability partners, community, and loved ones — and let’s start pruning to prepare for our ultimate bloom.

tanyafungai